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To: Pastors, clergy, parish staff, marriage & family leads and senior adult leads
From: Patrick Metts, associate director, Office of Evangelization and Discipleship
Sunday, July 24, is the launch of National NFP Awareness Week as well as the observance of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The incidental combination of these two observances gives us the opportunity to draw attention to the beauty and treasure of life, from conception to natural death. Below you will find information and resources on how to celebrate both of these initiatives in your parish.
This year the USCCB has set the theme for NFP Awareness Week as “Called to the Joy of Love.” Their website provides great resources to assist the local church in focusing attention on Natural Family Planning methods and Church teachings that support their use in marriage.
Please contact Daniel West, lead for Marriage & Family Life, with any questions about NFP Awareness Week. dwest@archatl.com
On May 10, Pope Francis’ message for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly 2022 was presented with the theme “In old age they will still bear fruit” (Ps 92:15). The Holy Father addresses his generation to remind them that those in old age have an important mission in life. They are called to be “artisans of the revolution of tenderness” and to “set the world free from the specter of loneliness and the demon of war.”
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life indicates two ways to live the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly: to celebrate in every parish a Mass dedicated to the elderly and to reach out those who are not visited. Moreover, in his message, the Pope affirms that “visiting the elderly who live alone is a work of mercy in our time.” Please find resources for your promotion here.
Please contact Mary Cohen, lead for Senior Adult Ministry, with any questions about World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. mcohen@archatl.com
Please see the attached recommend Prayers of the Faithful and the notes below from the USCCB that give suggestions on how to incorporate both of these important initiatives at your parish.
In your planning for National NFP Awareness Week, consider how you can raise up the noble role of grandparents in your activities that promote Church teaching on marriage, conjugal love, responsible parenthood, family and the method of Natural Family Planning. Below are some ideas to inspire you.
- Organize a weekday afternoon lunch program for grandparents where you can give them the tools they need to speak with their grandchildren about the virtue of chastity, the vocation of marriage and the morality of NFP methods.
- Partner with the diocesan or parish youth director to explore how you can create an inter-generational event where grandparents can share their wisdom about courting, marriage and family with youth. Be sure to include a means for youth to speak about their hopes for their future and what challenges face them as they date and wonder about the possibility of marriage for themselves.
- Offer prayer events and special Masses where grandparents can come together to pray for their families, and especially for their adult children who are struggling with infertility.
NB: On this note, consider hosting a speaker who can provide current information about adoption and foster care.
